


Of Gods and Kings

by RafeAdler



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Treasure Hunting, real life references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-11-18
Packaged: 2018-08-24 08:21:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8364901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RafeAdler/pseuds/RafeAdler
Summary: Rafe and Sam agreed it was over. Done. Finished. Normal life would be fine.
They didn't take their lessons from Nathan and Elena, it seems. The idea of discovering, adventure, and spending their lives together in an exciting adventure. Stealing Scrolls, exploring caves, finding the great teasure lost for centuries? Sounds like an average day for anyone in the Drake family, by birth or by relationship. Yet the two struggle with each other, with the mysteries, and with the defining moment - Judgement.





	1. I Can't Help It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so you guys who know me know the drill - short chapters. BUT PREPARE FOR SO MANY

                Samuel Drake was restless.

                He first noticed it when lying in bed, arms up behind his head and staring at the ceiling. He had just gotten home from doing some odd jobs, and he realized how uncomfortable he was just going out, coming home, and being domestic. It was an unnatural for him. A man who had spent thirteen years in prison, and majority of his life had struggled to make a name for himself, struggled to even survive. He had taken step after step on his own. Made his own money. Made his own name, his own legend.  While he wasn’t always alone, he had never been passive. He’d never been _domestic._ Sam Drake couldn’t figure out how his little brother Nathan had figured out the trick. He was spent of it. He wanted to get out again.

                Now he was in Rafe Adler’s home. When the man had survived and they’d reconnect, it had been difficult, full of long, rough talks. Full of pain. Full of regret. Full of apologies, therapy, full of mending each other and pulling themselves back together. Then Sam moved in. After a few years, there he was. He had left constantly during the repair process to work with Victor Sullivan. Rafe managed to wrangle him down and Sam moved in with happiness in his heart. They agreed that days of Sam running off to do work with Sullivan were over. Sam did odd jobs for Rafe regarding his family business. Rafe was pent up in his office during the day or at the local offices. During the day, Rafe’s manor was empty and quiet. In the evenings it was filled with Rafe and Sam close, spending every moment together.

                Sam had gotten his job done early. He liked when Rafe gave him more physical work. It wasn’t quite threatening, but Rafe’s more below-level business dealings required an expert hand of force to be the middle man. And Sam was perfect for the job. Better than feeling like a delivery boy, like his usual jobs tended to include. Transport, messages, supplies, he hated that.

                And he lied there, staring up at the ceiling, realizing he was restless.

                Rafe wasn’t going to be home for a few more hours, and Sam knew better than to call him about this. Rafe wasn’t very happy when he was interrupted by phone calls while he was working unless it was strictly business. Serious conversations were also difficult for Rafe in general, especially when he couldn’t see the person. Sam had already learned that he needed to speak slow and clear and use gestures that Rafe understood. Snarky comments and sarcasm were his thing, but he managed to limit it more than usual when he and Rafe had serious discussions. Since he couldn’t speak to Rafe for some time, Sam decided to take matters into his own hands. That couldn’t be lying in bed, so he stood up and went to the kitchen, where he always left his laptop. Rafe had gotten him used to it, and he rather enjoyed whatever content he could find online. Doing research was so much easier with the internet than by book. He was thankful for that as he sat at the little bar and got to work.

                He wasn’t planning on going anywhere. That was something he learned pretty easy from Nathan, both from their experience with Henry Avery and Libertalia and stories that Nathan had told him. But he found that Rafe was always willing to listen to him gab on and on about stuff he was finding online. Of course, when the topic came up to go look at it, find something, do something, Rafe shut him down before the conversation could even be started. Still, Sam thought if he found something good, something perfect, something so amazing, that Rafe would have to listen and consider. It wasn’t that he felt trapped – he just didn’t want to upset Rafe.

                The news was always a decent place to start. Some nice keyword searches, anything in Sam’s saved lists of interests. Nothing was coming up that he found himself interested in. At each scroll, next page, new website, nothing was catching Sam’s eye. Things were being found, or silly mysteries of artifacts or some ridiculous theory about a lost city. Sam wasn’t quite catching on to all of that. Eventually, he gave up on that, and decided to look over his bookmarked list. Every single website linked there were of ideas he had in the past, or ones that he wanted to bring up to Rafe. Some of them still looked good, too. But he knew the ones Rafe had already rejected. It was useless. The list kept getting longer and longer, and still Rafe wouldn’t bat an eyelash to even indulge him in conversation about going to find these things. Some of them were even legal ventures.

                His eyes caught a link. He wasn’t sure when he had bookmarked it, but he knew he had. It might have been one of the three or four “look over later and see if it bore any merit” type links. He wasn’t sure why, but Sam Drake found himself drawn to it.

                He read the article he saved.

                Instantly he began to look up the information.

                Tabs upon tabs upon tabs.

                Samuel Drake smiled.

                This one might do the trick after all.

                He had spent so long pouring over it, writing notes and watching videos; he had even grabbed a few paper notebooks and some books from the shelf to get more information. He had a new energy in him. This one could be it. It could be. He wasn’t sure why, but he could see it. Still, where this was going to lead him he wasn’t sure, but he had an idea. It was something good. How had nobody found it yet? The article said that all the information was there, it reminded him of-

                The door to the manor echoed in the whole place. Sam jumped and quickly began to shuffle and collect his papers. Scrambling, Sam glanced and saw Rafe begin to enter the room. On impulse, he reached and closed his laptop. He couldn’t let Rafe see it all yet. He had to talk to him about it first.

                Rafe had opened his mouth in greeting but did not speak. When Sam closed the laptop, he stood still, eyes narrowing. Sam regretted the decision. They stared each other down, Rafe’s eyes in thought and Sam trying to look as calm as he could holding a bunch of notebooks to his chest.

                He realized how awkward this would look.

                “Rafe…” he started.

                “Don’t.” Rafe held up a hand and silence filled the room. Rafe shook his head. “I’m going to my office. We are not going to-“

                “Rafe come on.” Sam let the notebooks down onto the counter and began to approach the other man. “Let’s just-“

                “We’re not.” Rafe gave him the look. That very look. The conversation was done before it began. “I’m not interested. You told me that you wouldn’t. We both said. We’re not going to get into that, because it’s bad for the both of us.”

                “It’s gonna be different this time,” Sam tried to insist.

                Rafe’s look was cold. “No. This is done. Whatever it is you’ve been doing all day? Good for you. Keep it to yourself. I don’t care what it is and I’m not going to hear one bit of it.”

                Rafe walked out of the kitchen, his posture full of tension. Sam watched after him but didn’t follow. When Rafe gave what could be seen as an order, it was best to follow it until he cooled down. Sam sat down at the bar again and opened his laptop. This would be different this time. He wouldn’t just go off. He’d convince Rafe. He would make Rafe know how important it was to him. He needed to do this. He was restless.

                Samuel Drake was restless.

                Rafe Adler was exhausted.

                The daily routine was always a painful experience for him. Every day it was waking up to the same alarm, the same kiss goodbye from Sam, then the same boring work. Paperwork, calls, hiring and firing and looking at stock and inventory and all sorts of crap. He knew how to do it all, he was good at it – but he hated every minute of it. During work, he often found himself drifting off and imagining himself alone with Sam, relaxing somewhere, going somewhere, doing something. Rafe missed the look of thrill in Sam’s eyes – the way he talked excitedly about things. Sometimes Rafe felt disconnected from him when they had been that way, but he had always admired Sam for it. It was one of his talents.

                It hadn’t been too difficult at first, living a simple life. After Libertalia, Rafe was ready to leave all that behind him. It took Sam some time to feel the same, but the two had fallen into a comfortable life together. But it seemed like Rafe was getting more and more tired of the life they were living, more earnest to get out again, before Samuel. It was embarrassing, so when Samuel had begun to try to talk to him about going out, he held his own and kept a cool demeanor and impression that he was comfortable. He didn’t tell Samuel about all the times at work he was doing his own research on every topic that Sam brought up to him. It would be humiliating; they had made an agreement. Sam always held up their promise, and Rafe wanted to do the same. No matter how enticing it was to go out, Rafe refused. It wasn’t good for them. It was the opposite. Yet Rafe spent half his life invested in finding a goddamn cross. It was hard to get that kind of life out of your system. That was the only thing he could understand about Nathan Drake.

                The day Sam was restless, Rafe felt like he was going to slip unconscious every moment. He had gone to the office headquarters to talk to some of the head managers and figure out a plan for the next quarter. It was dull work and Rafe wanted to run out the door before he even got there. Yet he felt it was his responsibility – it was his company after all. And he was thankful he had hired managers to take care of majority of his work – he just had to do more official headlining business. That day he had been crunching numbers and sitting in his office pouring over sheet after sheet and sending emails back and forth and over and under and left and right, twisting, turning, spinning-

                Everything seemed to stop whenever Rafe raised a hand. He could control time in that place. He could raise his gaze and everything fell quiet. He raised a finger and everything stood still, waiting for him. In this place, he played God. He was the sole commander and ruler, and he chose what happened, who went where, what went on, and every person’s career and life within that office. But it wasn’t thrilling. None of that was enticing, intoxicating. Nothing was able to draw him in like the idea of talking to Sam about some plan was.

                But he had to stay strong. Even if the exhaustion was wearing him down, even if it was difficult to breathe, stay strong. Be happy. Don’t let it in. Don’t.

                Getting out of the office had been a relief and Rafe was excited as he headed home. It was nice to be able to try to relax, wind down, and spend time with Sam. He had given him some easy work and got off of his own work as early as he could to head home. The thoughts of what they could do kept him occupied as he made his way back. In an instant, his mind wandered to some things they could research, sitting on the floor of the living room with take out and laptops and books. Then a ticket. Then going out of town for a while, on the hunt for some new thing, some exciting story, an adven-

                That word wasn’t allowed in Rafe’s life.

                Instead he chose them lying in bed and relaxing. Talking and complaining. Sam’s shitty jokes. They still managed to make Rafe laugh. Watching a movie or some show they needed to catch up on. Rafe made Sam promise they would finish the latest season of one of their shows. It had been finished for some time and they had not gotten around to it and the idea of not finishing was revolting to Rafe. They had to finish. Maybe they could tonight.

                When he had gotten home, everything was quiet. Sam had somehow always been quiet when he got home. It wasn’t bad, it was just different. Sam was usually so loud. Once Rafe found him, the volume always increased. But getting home and hearing nothing was always different. It almost felt like he was living alone, until he had to push Sam’s shoes off the carpet so dirt wouldn’t get everywhere. Classic Samuel.

                Rafe felt like there were weights on him as he trudged through the house. The first place he thought to look for Sam was the kitchen. Normally he was there when Rafe got home. Working, watching videos, reading the news, relaxing. Sometimes video chat with his brother; that was always annoying and Rafe especially hated it when Sam dragged him to participate. He tried to leave as soon as he could whenever that happened.

                At first Rafe felt himself brightening up and getting light when he found Sam in the kitchen. He always felt a warmth in his chest when he got to see the other man. Ever since the therapy after Libertalia, the recovery, Rafe had found himself loving Sam more and more every day. When he thought he couldn’t love Sam more, just the sight of him struck Rafe’s heart and caused him to relax. He was happy to greet the man when Sam turned and closed his laptop shut quickly. Disorganized papers were clutched to his chest.

                And he had that look.

                Rafe felt both sick and curious.

                This again.

                “Rafe…” Sam’s voice had that tone. That tone that Rafe hated. He felt like Sam was talking down to him when he talked like that and he hated it so much. He suddenly wanted to be away from Sam. He couldn’t deal with this right now. He wanted to lie down and watch shows with this man, not discuss some wild fantasy advent-

                “Don’t.”

                The conversation proceeded and Rafe pulled away, withdrawing into his temper. He stepped out of the room and went to his office. The idea of what Sam wanted was enticing. It was addicting, it was intoxicating like nothing else. Rafe so badly wanted to say yes. He did so much. He wanted to hear Sam talk about it, wave his arms in excitement, tell him every single detail and never miss out on anything, even the dullest of information. That was Samuel Drake. Rafe leaned on the door to his office and held his head in his hands. The Sam of every day, the dulled, tired Sam? That was Samuel Adler.

                It was two hours of pacing. Thinking of all the pros and cons. Rafe was worried that if he let Sam in with his idea, he would regret it. He feared they could never come back to this simple life. It wasn’t a bad life – it was a good life, a wonderful life. But it was repetitive, mundane, it was plain. Rafe missed the feeling of searching and exploring and learning and discovering. He missed…

                He missed…

                Adventure.

                Rafe went to the kitchen and found Sam pouring over his notes. Sam looked up and the look on his face made Rafe want to walk away. “Talk to me about this before I change my mind,” Rafe said.

                “You mean-“

                “I don’t mean anything.” Rafe walked to the bar and stood behind it, leaning on it so that he and Sam were close across it. “I’m willing to hear you out. I’m not deciding if it’s worth pursuing. But if it means this much to you, I will listen to what your idea is.”

                The look on Sam’s face melted Rafe’s heart. The older man was quick to lay out his notes, grinning, and move across to stand beside Rafe. Their bodies were close, brushing together, and Rafe felt hot. Sam leaning over, showing him all these notes he took, the information and research he was gathering… Rafe worried he might have a kink for this kind of thing.

                “Okay, okay, so these things here,” Sam pulled up a photo of tablets. They were old and worn and made of metal. The inscriptions on them were a language that Rafe knew of but could not read. It was Hebrew. “These things here are the Copper Scrolls. See, these things were found in one of those caves in the Dead Sea, whatever they’re called again the Que- something.”

                “Qumran.”

                “Bless you.”

                “Samuel.”

                “Okay, anyway,” Sam pointed to the images. “These are different than the other scrolls they found in so many ways. See, all the other ones were on like paper. Well, not paper, parchment, whatever the hell they used.”

                “I’m familiar with the idea, Samuel.”

                “Don’t act like that,” Sam said, but he was smiling. “So these, as you can guess…”

                “Are made on copper and inscribed, not written on paper. Parchment. Whatever.”

                “Exactly!” Sam pulled some notes close. “I looked at some of the translations and the Hebrew on it – oh first off the Hebrew is super different. Like a different dialect than the area, which means they were brought over from some other region. And they have locations.”

                “Locations?”

                “All of its of different places. Coordinates, sorta.” Sam pointed to a line on the tablet. “Each is a location to a place where like different treasures are buried. Now, apparently people have found some of these places, but no treasure is found. But this one…” He shook his head. “People are curious about this one, nobody can find it. Well, they found it, but there’s nothing there but some random shit they can’t make heads or tails of. Of course, based on my treasure hunting days…”

                “Our treasure hunting days.”

                “Bless you.”

                “Sam-“

                “They didn’t have the Copper Scrolls there with them.” Sam kept staring down at all the works before him. Rafe watched and found himself in awe. The Drake brothers were like angels, fallen from above but not to hell. They were holy beings who walked the earth. Each step they tread was hallowed ground. Every place they found became a holy sanctum. Rafe wanted nothing more than to praise Sam for blessing him with his grace and affection. “If we got our hands on these babies… Followed them…”

                “Sam, they’re in a museum.” Rafe’s voice was soft. Shaky. Breathless. Excited.

                “I know…” Sam bit his lip a little and sighed. “We could… you know.. borrow them.”

                “Stealing?”

                “……… that’s not the word I was looking for.”

                Leaning back, Rafe looked over all the notes that Sam had taken. He had looked over some biblical verses, trying to find something of reference for who could have written the scrolls. There were a few names sitting out on the board. “Moses, Solomon and David.”

                “Those are just theories,” Sam said. “We wouldn’t know until we found this location, and who was hiding what.”

                Sam leaned into him and sighed. “Babe, I know we said… we said we wouldn’t consider this again, but I think we might have a shot with this one. There could be something there. The other locations don’t have treasure, which means it’s either a diversion or they were all relocated to this spot. Or that spot tells us where it could be located.”

                “I need to think about this…” Rafe said. He shook his head. “Can you give me a few days?”

                “Oh, uhh yeah. Sure.”

                Rafe didn’t need a few days.

                Rafe Adler was exhausted.

                Samuel Drake was restless.

                The resonating Copper Scrolls called to them, pulling the two men’s interest. The idea of not looking into this further was impossible to both of them. Neither of them said it. Both pretended as best they could that they were uninterested, ready to toss out the idea. But both of them were grabbing for it before they even knew what it was. Their hands were finally touching.

                They were rejuvenated.


	2. Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: makes a longer chapter than immediately makes a short one
> 
> You're very welcome for my lazy writing

                They didn’t need to talk about it. They didn’t need to sleep on it. Within two days they were arranging plans. Rafe was the one in charge of flights, hiring and firing, all the usual business. The first day they had seemed to agree without any spoken word. Rafe was already caught looking further into the Copper Scrolls, Sam having walked into his office to call him to bed and finding that on his computer screen. A few words were exchanged as they slept that night, and Rafe retained his cool attitude that they wouldn’t be going after a treasure like that.

            Neither of them slept that night.

            The next day, Sam woke up surprised to find Rafe in the kitchen. Sam had managed to sleep a little bit long after the sun rose. Normally Rafe was gone by that point. Rafe claimed that he didn’t feel well, but his laptop was open on the counter as he made breakfast. They danced around the conversation until after they finished eating.

            “So the Copper Scrolls are where then?” Sam asked. “I mean you probably don’t know…” He eyed the laptop.

            Rafe swallowed his pride. “Amman, Jordan,” he answered. “The museum there has them on display.”

            “Well, if we did go after it,” Sam said, holding a cup of coffee to his mouth. “Not that we would go after it…”

            “No of course not.” Rafe agreed.

            “We would have to break in.”

            “Sounds like a classy date with Samuel Drake,” Rafe commented. Though his tone was serious, Sam understood the joke and snorted, nearly choking on the coffee he was attempting to down. “Do you really think it would be a good idea to go after this? Breaking into a museum is hardly legal.”

            “Nah, it’s all kinds of legal.”

            “Samuel.”

            The sun was peeking through the window. It was a cloudy day, but little bits and rays of light were managing to pass through the bleakness. It spilled into the room, illuminating the kitchen. Rafe was cleaning up some of the dishes, his back to Sam. Sam watched. He admired the man’s frame, the muscles of his back, the way he slightly swayed on his feet when he was lost in something. Sam sipped his coffee.

            “Rafe,” he said.

            “Samuel,” Rafe replied.

            They never said that they were going to do this. They just did.

            When Rafe sat down across from Sam, the sun seemed to completely break through. Rafe saw the way the light touched Sam’s skin, lighting him up. And then he saw the glint of joy in Sam’s eyes and he swallowed. This was an angel. His angel. Hallowed ground. Rafe felt like an unworthy disciple. But he’d never tell Sam that. “So I found a floor plan of the museum…” Rafe reached and grabbed a paper, passing the map to Sam. They didn’t talk about how Rafe had already printed it for Sam to look at.

            The map showed a lot of rooms, display areas, auditoriums. “Everything is in order,” Rafe said. He shifted. “By date of when it was. So the Copper Scrolls are estimated around the year 70. Which means they would be right…” He leaned and pointed to a large hall of the map. “In this wing. It’s labelled 3Q15. Based on the cave and in what order they were found with other normal scrolls in Qumran.”

            “So we just sneak in, snatch the damn things, sneak out?” Sam said. He grabbed a pencil and began to look over some of the maps. “What are these?” He gestured to little x’s scattered along the paper. Rafe shifted and explained that he had managed to get some information about security. Sam saw the x’s all had little fields of view sketched. Rafe had already done the research. “There’s many floors to this right?”

            “Yes, but since the oldest things are on the first floor, I figured we would try our lowest entry point.”

            “Which is?”

            “Here.”

            Rafe led Sam to see the facilities. “There are some tunnels and different old caverns. It’s built atop some old ruins. Now, most of them are gone, but if you have contacts like I do, we could easily get our way into the place.” Rafe always appreciated doing things simple. He didn’t like getting his hands too dirty. Anything that money and other people could fix, he would want to use. “So, I figure we can maybe hire some people to help us get in-“

            “Rafe, we need as little people as possible on this.” Rafe looked at Sam with surprise when he spoke. “Listen, okay? We don’t want to attract attention or have a high body count if we get caught. The more people we have, the more trouble will follow. We’ll hire some people to actually find the location and maybe do some digging around, but otherwise it’s you and me on this, okay?”

            Rafe’s throat got tight. This was too familiar. “Just us like Avery, right?”

            Sam’s expression broke. “Hey, this isn’t like that.” His voice was gentle, lulling Rafe to a calm. “You know the circumstances were different. I won’t get Nathan involved. I don’t want to.”

            “Promise me.”

            “I promise.”

            The two began to discuss strategy as if it were a typical household conversation. It was easy to picture themselves camped in a hotel for a few days, visiting the museum multiple times and planning from there. Some of their old gear was still in the storage area, but Rafe insisted they get everything new. They would need plenty of communication devices, as getting into the display area for the Copper Scrolls would prove difficult with the level of security. Sam was planning to get to one of the security rooms. It wasn’t much of a detour, based on the map. He planned to play around with the footage and then meet with Rafe to get their hands on the Scrolls. They would need a good look at the display case’s security to figure out how to get them out. And Rafe wanted to make replicas to put in so that people wouldn’t notice right away that anything was wrong. Sam hadn’t really thought about that – most of the time he just focused on getting the Scrolls and going to find the treasure. Everything in their minds was setting off – their blood pumping and energy spiking and their nerves on edge.

            It was exactly what they were looking for.

* * *

 

            The flight made Sam more thrilled than anything. After a few days Rafe had announced to his company that he would be taking leave for some time and put someone in charge in his stead. Rafe had surprised him that same day with tickets to Jordan. He was in the process of procuring tickets to visit the museum as well, giving them a glimpse of what they would be facing and what they were after. Sam was ready to get a good look at the Copper Scrolls. He wanted nothing else.

            Well, what he wanted he would have. Looking at his new adventure with Rafe by his side.

            “This is gonna be good,” he said to Rafe. They were sitting in nice seats up at the front of the plane, the two having slept for some time. They were almost there to Jordan. It had been a few layovers, and finally they only had an hour left. Rafe was reading, looking over some history regarding the caves that the scrolls were found in. Rafe had been dead set on finding their secrets. Not much was known about the caves, other than they were used for various groups and storing various documents and items. Nothing in those caves were quite like the Copper Scrolls, though. Those were unique beyond measure, catching the eyes of Adler and Drake in a way the other scrolls and documents that were found could not.

            Their hands interlocked over the arm rest and Rafe glanced over at Sam. His cheeks turned pink when Sam smiled at him and he quickly looked down at his papers. Sam leaned and kissed his cheek. “You know you won’t be able to do that as much when we’re there,” Rafe mumbled.

            “That’s why I’m getting in as much as I can now,” Sam replied. He leaned against Rafe, kissing and nuzzling into him.

            “Do you have to be so physical right now?” Rafe tried to sound annoyed but it was failing. He squeezed Sam’s hand.

            “Yes,” Sam said. He stretched out and shifted in his seat, glancing at the papers that Rafe held. “Find anything new we didn’t cover?”

            “Nothing,” Rafe said. He set the papers aside in the empty seat beside himself and sighed. “It’s just strange, I can’t seem to wrap my head around why those documents were just left there.” He leaned on Sam, nestling against the man’s chest. The arm rest had been raised while Rafe was putting the papers away. “Do you think this’ll be easy?”

            “We thought that about Avery.”

            Rafe smiled. “We did. And that turned out fantastic.”

            “You know, I’m still a little bitter that you tried to kill my brother,” Sam said.

            “He had it coming,” Rafe replied. “His hair was atrocious that day, if you had noticed you would have wanted him dead, too.”

            It had been long enough that the sting of talking about Libertalia wasn’t as bad as it used to be. The joking was able to increase, but only around certain things. Other areas of those events remained untouched after therapy. That was a promise they would try to keep.

            Rafe looked out the window, and saw the glint of the sun through the pillowy clouds. Everything seemed light and beautiful and warm. Flying was always a relaxing thing for Rafe. Watching the sky roll by around them, feeling secure in one spot, yet seeing the small towns or oceans or ships or clouds whisk by below, it was amazing that humans could find themselves so high up. He felt safe there, with Sam’s arm around him, listening to the man’s heartbeat and watching the sky dance outside the window in the light of the heavenly sun.

            “What if it’s nothing?” Rafe asked. He surprised himself with such a question, and looked up at Sam as the man looked down at him. “What if we get there, and we get the scrolls and… nothing is there? Like the people who have already looked? What if there’s nothing the scrolls can reveal to us?”

            Sam watched Rafe’s face in thought, then he kissed the man’s forehead. “Well, that’s okay,” he said. “You know what the best part of this adventure will be?”

            “Finding the treasure.”

            “No,” Sam said, but he laughed. “Being able to explore like this with you.”

            Rafe tucked his face down against Sam’s chest and nuzzled in. “You’re such an idiot,” he grumbled. He tried to hide his warm cheeks as best he could. Sam couldn’t be fooled, but he didn’t try to make Rafe look at him. He just tightened his grip around Rafe’s shoulder and kissed the top of his head.

            They fell asleep like that, curled up together. The woke to the sound of the pilot. To the blinking light for their seatbelts. As they sat up and yawned and put on the safety belts, Rafe leaned to look out the window. Little homes on flat land, brown and green and plain. It looked like farmland. Then he saw the airport below and his heart leapt.

            They were in Jordan.

            This was really happening.


	3. Every Little Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why are my chapters so short? Haha I don't know

Sam got them access to a cab once they were in the airport. Unfortunate for the both of them, their Arabic wasn’t the best. Rafe was impressed that he knew more than Sam, however, and reveled in the superiority for another language, for once. Sam was getting a cab while Rafe was speaking to some workers and guides about places to stay in Amman. It was about a half hour’s drive to Amman. Rafe was given a map of Amman, and one of the men circled some spots where good hotels would be, as well as making marks for little places they could go visit. Rafe’s eyes were locked on the mark over the Jordan Museum. It was only a matter of time. When he thanked the men, he returned to Sam, holding the map to his chest. Sam was just getting off of the phone and their eyes met. Sam reached a moment to take Rafe’s hand, but their fingers brushed and that was all.

            Already the lack of contact was painful.

            “So, did you get us a cab?” Rafe asked. He watched around the airport, watching the people walk back and forth. People talking, bustling about. Rafe was acute to every detail, watching the movement of clothes, hair, mouths, what bag belonged to who. It was always something he knew by heart. The noises, the smells, the activity around him – it was strangely intoxicating. He was back at it again, back into the life he had missed so much. With Samuel Drake at his side.

            “Yeah,” Sam said. “They were a little backed up but we’ll have one soon. Where we heading?” He leaned over close to Rafe, glancing at the map. For a moment Rafe felt embarrassed, wondering if Sam was looking at the map or his chest. Their eyes met again and Rafe passed the map to Sam, letting him look it over. Then it was back to watching people.

            “So where are we staying again?” Sam said. “You did get us a place, right?”

            “I didn’t find anything useful online.” Rafe replied. “But there’s a place right by the museum that would suit us good.”

            “The… Ramada Hotel? And Suites Amman?”

            “That’s the one.”

            The two wandered outside after a while, and were relieved when their cab arrived. Rafe covered the payments – driving a half hour to Amman through rocky country and desert like scenery. Rafe watched the scene go by the window, Sam falling asleep in the back. The driver wasn’t the most talkative, but by the quietness of the men in the back, that wasn’t a problem. The half hour was peaceful and nice, and Rafe couldn’t complain.

            The cab dropped them off outside the hotel and Rafe was quick to get them a nice room. They took an extended stay room, the two men wanting to take their time with their goal. The room they got had two beds so as not to get any glances. The moment they were in their room they fell into each other’s arms. Their mouths met. Rafe felt the bed against his back. Fingers intertwined.

            The space between them disappeared.

* * *

 

            The first part of the plan was to just relax and lay low for a few days. Though the two men attempted to blend in as best as they could as tourists, both managed to pull glances. Their presence seemed to give off a feel of some event that would happen, so the two mostly spent time around or in their hotel. Rafe was busy getting them tickets for the museum while Sam would walk the streets of Amman, exploring the area. It was an area where lots of people lived, with some nice little shops and restaurants. Sam dragged Rafe to as many restaurants as he could to try food, enjoying a palette he was not familiar with. Rafe seemed more content staying in their hotel, but once he was eating there the protesting always stopped and he quietly thanked Sam for getting him out for food. This happened often, as well as Sam walking by the Jordan Museum. He would take walks, and quickly people went from watching him to seeing him as a tourist doing a morning routine. He would pretend to be uninteresting in the large museum, but his watchful eye was always looking at it as he rounded it and the municipality just beside it. That would be a difficult thing to take care of it. The museum they planned to steal from directly next to Amman’s city government. Still, Sam knew that Rafe would figure out some back way in. And once they got to tour the place a few times, they knew exactly what they would be doing.   

            During his time there, he made friends with a man running a little restaurant down the road. When he wasn’t spending his time with Rafe, he was usually wandering there, sitting around and talking to the man. He wasn’t the best with his Arabic, but the man seemed more amused than anything, and had more or less begun to teach him. At first the man was weary of Sam coming in each day. Once they had begun to chat, Sam had a little table by the back room so that they could chat whenever he was free. Sam was proud to be catching up with Rafe’s knowledge of the language.

            Back in the hotel, Rafe was busy detailing their plans. He was in contact with his informants and associates, getting information and guarantees and seeing things begin to fall into place. He was the one that was there to pick up a package from home, a gift of sorts, and it was of new clothes and gear that he had ordered and shipped to look like it was from a parent or a friend. He stored it in their room’s closet, went about his phone calls and planning, and would find his mind wandering to Sam, wondering where he was. He knew the man was always excited about new places, wanting to explore and search everything he could. He was likely all the way across Amman at that moment, chatting up strangers and buying little trinkets to take home. The man always liked souvenirs. It was cute.

            Now it was time for the real work. Rafe sat down at the little desk. He was quick to get open the website to the Jordan Museum – the events page stood out, the browns and warm colors nice and relaxing. There was a link to an about, news, and other sections of the website, but Rafe went right to the ticketing. He was happy to find that it was only five Jordanian Dinars per ticket for someone from outside the country. He was a little annoyed that tickets could not be bought ahead of time. He decided that he and Sam would go there the next day. Now came to trying to find Sam and figure out dinner. He hoped that Sam would be okay with eating in. He really didn’t feel like going out again.  

            Unfortunately, that’s exactly what they did. They went out.

            Again.

* * *

 

            “There they are.”

            People moved around the two Americans staring down the Copper Scrolls. They were in a line in a little display frame, and the old copper was glinting in the light of the museum. There was a buzz of conversation floating in the air, so many people focused on the larger, more ornate pieces. People wandering and pointing. Not many people looked at the Copper Scrolls. Not for long, anyway. But Rafe and Sam stood there, arms crossed, looking and muttering to each other.

            “It looks like an easy enough security measure to bypass,” Rafe muttered. “We’ll have to see when we get here. Of course, I have plenty of new toys for this sort of thing.” Though they were surrounded by people, nobody seemed to be paying attention to their conversation. “You’ll be okay with the cameras right? They take nice shots.” He still tried to speak casually, though.

            “Please,” Sam said, rolling his eyes. “It’ll be easy. You got the door open though, right?” Sam was also cautious about his word choice.

            “Of course. Everything is set for tomorrow night.”

            Sam wanted so badly to reach and touch the glass that separated him from the scrolls. He wanted to kiss Rafe right there, in front of their prize. Something about standing there made Sam feel a little dizzy, and he smiled as he eyed the scrolls. In the reflection of the mirror, he caught Rafe’s expression. While it was blank, he could see the fire in his eyes. And Sam knew that Rafe was just as ready for this as he was.

            They walked around for some time so as to blend in with the rest of the crowd. For some time, there was quite a bit of space between them, a distance they attempted to maintain. By the time they were getting ready to leave they hand their fingers laced and arms touching. Thankfully, nobody seemed to notice their hands touching in such a manner. Thankfully, nobody noticed the look of adoration Rafe gave to Samuel. Thankfully, nobody noticed them sneak into a bathroom to kiss for a while. It was a single room bathroom. Sam went in first, Rafe following and holding his hand and smiling like a child. When Rafe closed the door he found himself pinned against it. Sam’s hand trailed down his side, touching the handle and locking it. Their lips met, hands grasped. Sam’s mouth ended up on Rafe’s neck, and Rafe’s hands in his hair. They were breathless, invigorated, electricity crackling in their nerves and spines. Sam left a mark clear as day on Rafe’s neck. Rafe decided to return the favor.

            They felt alive.


	4. Break In, Run The Fuck Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this chapter is a little awkward, I tried to write it different ways but couldn't really get it out. Hope it's good!
> 
> Also I hope the original villains are good to you, I spent a lot of time designing them. It isn't quite Uncharted without your treasure hunting competitive villains, now is it?

Sam’s hands were freezing. The water was cold, and he was thigh deep in it. His calves were growing numb, and he was quickly growing tired of this as he stood there in the murk. This wasn’t the cleanest heist he had ever been in – walking through the old sewers and ruins was quite an interesting experience. His nose was definitely not thankful for this. He wondered how Rafe was keeping it together. Their lights fluttered and danced around the area – old walls, dripping old pipes and the filthy water all around them. It had taken Rafe some money to get them in there. Of all places that Rafe’s money could buy, it was a dirty, grimy, absolutely disgusting sewer.

            “You wanna hurry up over there?” Sam muttered. Normally he didn’t mind being in filthy places if he knew he was going to get out of it pretty fast. But it had been some time standing there holding a flashlight for a hunched Rafe Adler who was busy working on a door. Of the two, Rafe was the better lock pick. He grew up stealing from his father and mother – he learned how to break into his own house pretty easy. Sam could do it, too, but not with as much skill. And this was a complicated door with various locks. Rafe had gotten through two of them and a pin code on the wall and was now on the last one, but it proved to be the most difficult.

            “If you would give me five more minutes, I’ll be done,” Rafe muttered. He definitely sounded annoyed. “And don’t talk, listening and responding to your whining is slowing me down.”

            “Slowing you down? How about freezing my ass off in this gross shit? Literally?” Sam rolled his eyes. “Look if you can’t do it just let me-“

            The door swung open and Rafe turned to Sam, raising a brow and crossing his arms. “You want to finish that sentence?” Rafe asked. His voice was challenging. Sam decided not to reply. Rafe nodded with satisfaction and turned, flipping his own flashlight on. “Just remember, we got to get to the security room. Turn your light off if you see anyone. Take them out quietly.”

            “Yeah, sure boss,” Sam said. They ascended a staircase, the stench of the sewers giving way to clean, nice air. Sam was glad to be out of those sewers. It was dark, with little light gleaming through the high windows. Most everything was in its display cases, sitting in their polished frames. The ones that were taken out were of more sensitive material – needing to be placed somewhere that they could not risk damage. Having looked into the Copper Scrolls for some time now, Rafe and Sam both knew they would be sitting comfortably in their own display. So the two split off, Rafe creeping along the walls and turning off his flashlight as he wandered, avoiding the camera’s gaze. Sam made his way to the control room, which was just down the vast hall.

            The first thing Sam Drake noticed when he got to the security room for that floor was that there were no guards. That was very unusual, and Sam sat down at the monitors pondering this. In the halls, there weren’t any. He looked at the cameras, watching monitor after monitor. Nobody. It was strange. Why wouldn’t a museum have some guards? It held lots of valuable loot. Something about that felt off. Still, they had a task at hand. With a flourish of his fingers, the previous night’s tapes were going, and all sound was off. He checked every monitor once over before he nodded with satisfaction. At his belt was a walkie that Rafe had the corresponding to.

            “Adler, everything is good now,” Sam said.

            “Well, that was damn fast.” Rafe’s voice was static and quiet. “Did you see anything I should be worried about? I’m almost there.”   

            “No, it’s weird though,” Sam said into the device. He exited the security room and glanced around. “Have you seen a single guard?”

            For a moment there was silence. “You know,” Rafe finally replied. “I don’t think I have. Shouldn’t there be some?”

            “Yeah, there should…” Sam sighed. “Just get to the scrolls, I’ll catch up with you. Be careful, I feel like we might have stumbled into something.”

            “Copy.”

            Sam didn’t even bother to glance at the other displays as he made his way down the hall. He had one reason to be here, and one reason only. And he and Rafe were going to get to it, and they were going to collect one of the greatest treasures in history, one of the oldest findings of a mass treasure to dig up. They just had to get those scrolls and find it.

            “This way.”

            Sam froze. That was not a voice he recognized. It definitely wasn’t Rafe’s. It was a woman’s. Maybe a guard. He backtracked and hunched behind a display, glancing out. For a while, nothing was there. Just the dim light, dust floating in the low rays of the moon. Then they appeared.

            There were many armored men walking with guns in their hands, wandering and looking around the area. Thugs, all of them looking ready to kill at any moment. Sam noticed that each bore a different religious symbol – some bearing a cross on their chest, others a star, and others the crescent moon. They all spoke softly to each other, glancing around, before standing at attention. Sam had to crane his neck further to see who it was they were looking at.

            A woman appeared from behind one of the large pillars leading into the hall, her arms crossed over her chest. Short messy hair, scars all over her arms and face. Her gaze, even from this distance, made Sam shiver. It was dark and dangerous; it was easy to see that. There were many piercings on her features, as well as bracelets and rings. Her entire outfit was in some strange V shape. She wore a loose shirt and a few necklaces on her collar bone. There was a descending V pattern down the shirt, as well as the vest she wore. There were multiple hand guns on her hip, and a large gun strapped to her back.

            “I don’t want to tell you all again.” Her voice was commanding and rough. “Go find the scrolls. Now!”

            The men dispersed, roaming down the halls Sam knew Rafe had gone down. The woman who remained leaned on the pillar a moment, letting her head rest on it and closing her eyes.

            “Well, shit…” Sam crawled back to the security room and grabbed for his walkie. “Hey Rafe, have this on low, but we got a problem. You at the scrolls?”

            “Yes, I’m at them now,” Rafe replied. “What problem? What happened?”

            “It appears we might have competition.”

            “What?”

            “I don’t know for sure but the lady said something about scrolls and –“

            “What lady? Samuel?”

            “Look I’m hiding from them right now but some guys are heading your way. I’m going to go around and meet you, just stay out of sight, please.”

            “You have the gun I gave you?” Rafe’s voice was calm, but Sam could detect the nervousness.

            “Yes, I do,” Sam said. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

            When Rafe gave him assurance, Sam left the security room once again. It was dark, and he snuck over and saw that the woman had gone. Great. Doubling back, he began to go down the halls. He would have to cut through the entrance and back around through to meet Rafe in the section containing the scrolls. It seemed like an easy enough job, considering that everyone was going the opposite direction. Still, he was careful. Ducking behind shelves and displays, sneaking looks down the hall, and keeping his head low. Sticking to the shadows, away from the moonlit spaces on the floor and in the glass. He got his way to the entrance, which was a large courtyard-like space, with the lobby entrance gaping like a dark hole on the opposite wall. He glued himself to the wall and began to circle the courtyard.    

            And it was a wise decision to do so.

            More men appeared in the yard, and though they were obviously soldiers, they weren’t as well-armed or wearing as much protective gear as the last Sam had seen. He had to hide behind some large stone pillars, waiting and holding his breath as they walked. When he peeked out, he grimaced.

            Another woman stood among these men. She looked much like the first, only her hand fell long down her back. The first woman looked like a mercenary, while this one looked almost like a nun without her head covering. Many necklaces adorned her as well, and like the first woman, she wore many V shapes. Only hers were inverted, pointing upwards, a pattern all along the front of her dress and on her belt. If the first woman’s eyes were disturbing, Sam didn’t know what to say about this one. Her eyes were wide, as if she had never recovered from a shocking experience. They looked exhausted as well, but kept wide open despite.

            Fear rose up in his chest. Who were these people? Was Rafe okay? He wanted to contact him on the walkie again, but that seemed like a poor decision. Then he began to worry if any of this was a good idea. It was something they were doing together, enjoying themselves and adventure and life again. It felt like they were filling in a part of their lives that they had been missing. But what if these people tried to kill them? What if they were after the same thing? Was it worth it anymore?

            Sam waited until the courtyard was empty, then he began to make his way into the lobby and down the halls to get to the scrolls. He kept behind the group ahead, with the woman and her soldiers, watching and searching for any sign of Rafe.

            “I can’t believe this!”

            Sam crawled behind a set of swords and armor, and he peeked. His heart leapt, but with joy. The two women had met, their guards around them. They were at the copper scroll case.

            It was empty.

            “Someone got to them first!” It was the mercenary woman. She kicked the display case, shaking her head. “Who the hell did this?”

            “Calm yourself,” said the priestess. “We’ll keep a level head. I know they were here today, the scrolls. Whoever took them, it must have been recent.”

            That’s when Sam saw Rafe tucked behind some shelves, clutching something to his chest with one arm. In his other hand he held his gun. Sam wanted to call out to him, run to him, anything at all, but he knew he couldn’t risk them getting caught. He was at a good distance, though. Without taking his eyes off the two women and their guard, Sam snuck from artifact to artifact, winding his way around the hall to get closer to Rafe. At some point, Rafe saw him, and had lowered his gun and had squished into the space more to make room for him. The two women were still arguing and talking when Sam managed to crawl up to Rafe, settling beside him and fitting his body in the small space between the shelves.

            “Rafe,” Sam said, with a lopsided smile.

            “Samuel,” Rafe replied. He glanced out from behind the shelves. “Who are these jerks?”

            “No idea,” Sam whispered. “But they do not look friendly, so I suggest we get out of here.”

            “And how do we do that?”

            “The front door? Sewers?”

            “You think the sewers would work?” Rafe bit his lip. “Well, I mean, that would work better than the front door…”           

            “Sewers, then.” Sam kissed the top of Rafe’s head. “I can’t believe they’re after the scrolls too. What fucking luck, right?”

Rafe opened his mouth to whisper back to Sam, but was silenced when a bullet buried itself in the floor just by Sam’s foot.

            Jumping, Sam pressed himself to Rafe, pinning the man against one of the shelves. Rafe mumbled in protest, but Sam covered his mouth.

            “Come out so I can see you,” one of the women called. Sam could tell it was the mercenary by the anger and loudness. “Don’t give me a reason to shoot again.”

            Sam glanced down at Rafe, then leaned against him. “Stay put,” he whispered in the man’s ear. “I’ve got this.” With that, he pressed a kiss to Rafe’s cheek, then poked his head out from behind the shelf.

            Everyone was staring his way. Guards and all. The two women stood beside each other. Arrows up, arrows down. Sam raised a brow. What kind of costume party did he walk in on? Seeing the two together, he realized pretty fast they were related. Everything about their features that was not easily altered were very similar. Siblings. Maybe twins?

            “Who are you?” The priestess asked, her eyes boring into Sam’s. He thought that was pretty damn creepy.

            “Well, I could ask the same about you,” Sam replied. “I tell you, you tell me?”

            The women glanced at each other, and both nodded after a moment. “You tell us first,” the priestess spoke. “Give us a name and a reason why you are here. Then we will decide whether or not to kill you.”

            “That’s a little harsh coming from a woman of God right?” Sam said. Anger crossed both women’s faces. “Hey, hey, I’m just kidding. I was raised Catholic. It’s good, it is.”

            Rafe was rolling his eyes. Sam noticed.

            “Anyway, I guess I just gotta be honest huh?” Sam flashed a smile. “Sam Drake, at your service. I was here to get some petty loot. You know, things that I could steal that they might not notice were missing right away? Like parts of armor, or a little jewel with in the pile of big jewels? That kind of thing.” He took another step out, raising his hands in a sign of innocence, and gestured to them. “Now you gotta tell me who you are, right? Deal is a deal.”

            The first to step forward was the mercenary. She had cold hate in her eyes as she stared at Sam. “I am Jordan Harel,” she said. “I am the sister of below, serving the Harel family in centuries of work. Here for my prize.”

            The priestess touched her arm and Jordan stepped back, nodding to her. The priestess turned with her wide eyes on Sam and she smiled. It seemed somewhat threatening. “I’m Aliyah Harel, sister of above, serving the Harel family in centuries of work. Here for my prize.”

            “And what prize be that?” Sam said. He wanted to sound curious and interested, as if he didn’t already know.

            “The Scrolls of our ancestors,” Aliyah said. She gestured to the display case. “It is our duty to recover them and recover the lost treasure. In the name of the Harel family, this is our goal.”

            “Yet it seems we were a little slow,” Jordan said. She raised her gun, pointing it right to Sam. “And you’re the only one here besides us. What do you have on you, hmm?”

            Sam kept his hands raised and he took a step back. “Hey come on now,” he said. “I just got here. I don’t even have a bad big enough for that kind of thing. Look at that case, do you think whatever held it could fit in this?” He showed off his tiny backpack for good measure.

            Both women hesitated and looked at each other. “We suppose not,” Aliyah said. She shook her head. “You do not have our destiny in your hands. We have no quarrel with you. I do not like petty thieves, but I will grant you leave of here. I hope we never cross paths again.”

            “You and me both, Sister,” Sam said. He took another step back. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.” He turned on his heel, and without another word, he grabbed Rafe’s arm and pulled him along to walk in front of him.

            “Hold on a moment, Sam Drake.” It was Aliyah’s calm, somewhat disturbing voice. Sam froze in his tracks. Rafe was appalled that Sam just grabbed him and dragged him. He was still clutching the scrolls to his chest. Staring right at Sam with wide, unhappy eyes. “Who is that? And what has he got there?”

            Sam turned slowly and flashed them all a smile. “Well you see, he’s…. gonna run.”

            “I’m going to wha-“ Rafe was cut off by Jordan raising her gun and firing. Sam shoved Rafe, making the man stumble, the bullet lodging itself in a display case.

            “I said he’s gonna run!” Sam shouted. Rafe took only a moment to recover and he began to sprint down the corridor.

            “I hate you sometimes Samuel!” Rafe shouted. He held onto the scrolls tight, the copper digging into his skin. They had been preserved well, gleaming and light and almost brand new. The wear on them looked normal, is if it had been made with that intention. He was aware of the gunshots and shouting behind him. But that was the last thing he could focus on. There was a moment of distraction, however, when he heard Sam laugh, most likely from adrenaline. Rafe always thought Sam had a beautiful laugh.

            They rounded down the hall, and Rafe spotted the stairs that would descend to the sewers. “Just there!” he shouted.

            “Right behind you!” Sam called back.

            Rafe heard Sam close to him, just a bit behind him. He felt a hand on his back, warm and familiar. Sam guiding him. The shouts continued and more gunfire. Bullets whizzed past Rafe, and he found himself staring at them, watching them move as if in slow motion, just past his head at the level of his eyes. “Do you want to help out a little?” he shouted to Sam.

            He heard the click of a gun in response just behind him. Then he heard shooting very close. But he was not afraid. It was Sam firing. Firing back.

            “Don’t let them get away!” A voice cried. Rafe wasn’t sure which of the women it was. He didn’t get the same face-to-face conversation Sam did. He only saw them from behind and from a distance, listened to their voices. Whoever these women were, Rafe already hated them. Why more competition? It was Nathan all over again.

            The two men practically fell down the stairs as they made their way to the sewers. Breathless and in a sprint, they made their way through the door. Sam closed it behind them, and they were sloshing through the grime and the shit once more. “You parked the car near the exit right?” Rafe asked. Sam only gave a weak little “uh huh” in response. They pushed through the dirt and muck for some time, the shouting and running behind them growing fainter and fainter.

            When they climbed up and out of the sewers, Rafe felt he could breathe again. He felt sick, disgusting and filthy. Collapsing on the ground a moment, he looked down at the copper scrolls he hugged against his chest. He watched Sam climb up into the night air, lying beside him. They had picked a street that was usually empty even during the day to park the car they rented, which was waiting just a few feet away.

            Breathing hard, Rafe looked at Sam.

            Sam looked back.

            They smiled. And they laughed.

            They kissed, then stood.

            “Well, this is gonna be fun,” Sam said. His voice was tired.

            “I can’t believe history is repeating itself,” Rafe mumbled. They climbed into the car. Sam touched Rafe’s hand, and they continued to smile.

            “At least it’s not personal this time,” Sam said. “We just got some weird family history loons after us.”

            Rafe leaned against Sam a moment, closing his eyes. He was holding the scrolls. They just escaped people who shot at them. They were alive, and would soon be on their way to finding the treasure they sought. They were having fun again. They were on an adventure.

            “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”


End file.
